Dear PB Readers,

Why? Because you can. This past Friday evening I was in Victoria, British Columbia for national coaching meetings. I stopped into a brain injury clinic in the city to see a former National Team Athlete. Sean Marlowe was a twenty-one year old athlete with the world at his feet. The effervescent triathlete had previously represented Canada on a number of World Championship teams and had the drive and talent to become one of the best in the world. This past July, Sean was in Edmonton driving to an elite athlete meeting when his car was destroyed by an accident with a transport truck.

In the last seven months Sean has been in and out of a coma, had his lung removed and is now in the middle of a long and arduous rehabilitation battle. Still not able to speak, Sean looked at me through a body that would no longer respond to his requests and aggressively gripped my finger showing me the improvements he had made since the accident. Sean's life will likely never be the same and the probability of him every walking again, let alone racing in a competitive triathlon, is quite low. Sean was still on my mind when I got up for my run the next morning. With rain teaming down outside my window I seriously thought about going back to bed and skipping my "fat-burning morning jog". As I pondered my options, the vision of the Sean Marlowe sitting in his wheel chair unable to speak flashed before my eyes. What would Sean Marlowe and thousands of other people in my and your lives do to have the ability to get up and exercise at any speed under any weather conditions? Within minutes I was out the door and enjoying the rain that was pelting me in the face. Life is all about perspective. My biggest problem on this morning was my wet shoes. Next to Sean Marlowe and the quarter of a million people who have lost their homes in Asia my small daily problems are insignificant. The next time you struggle to get out of bed for your morning exercise class think about SEAN and I fully believe you will be out the door before you know it!

Welcome to our 224th consecutive weekly PB Newsletter. Our goal each and every week is to be a positive source of motivation and education. Started over four years ago while I was at the Sydney Olympic Games, I have never missed a Monday morning in 224 straight weeks. In a world filled with many negative stimuli, I believe it's important to be consistently exposed to positive people, projects and possibilities. Later in this week's PB newsletter, Caron Shepley will share her strategies for getting people active and maintaining a consistent healthy lifestyle over the winter. Consider signing up your kids, colleagues and friends for our free weekly newsletter. Send your friends to our website at www.personalbest.ca or email me directly at barrie@personalbest.ca Have a great week.

JAN 24th PB HIGHLIGHTS

* THOMAS JEFFERSON QUOTE ON ATTITUDE
* CARON SHEPLEY'S STRATEGIES FOR A HEALTHY WINTER
* PB EMAIL OF THE WEEK
* DEFINING TIME
* GREAT WEBSITES TO USE FOR REFERENCE
* DON'T MISS THE FEB 4TH AQUAFINA TALK WITH LEITH DRURY
* PERSONAL BEST OPPORTUNITIES

THOMAS JEFFERSON QUOTE ON ATTITUDE

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

HOW TO KEEP IT GOING! CARON SHEPLEY'S STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Ahhh - late January, this is the time of the year when those well-intended New Year's fitness resolutions become distant memories. That stationary bike that you got for Christmas becomes a useful piece for hanging laundry. As a fitness professional, people always assume that it is easy to keep myself motivated to work out. The truth is that I have just as much difficulty sticking with my routine as anyone else. I have found, however, a few tricks that keep me going when it's minus 10 degrees and windy or I've had a long day and just feel like curling up by the fire with a good book. Hopefully you find that these tips help to motivate you as much as they help me….

1) For your main mode of fitness, choose something that you enjoy. I can't tell you how many people I know that drag their butts to the gym to do something that they hate. And then there are those people that can't wait until their next workout because they enjoy it so much. Which ones will stick to their routine? Well the answer is obvious. I prefer running to swimming and although others may not share my preference, my swim workouts fall by the wayside when the triathlon season is over. My running workouts are always a mainstay. Find something you enjoy.

2) Misery loves company. Sometimes we do some workouts that we don't enjoy in order to attain various fitness or health-related goals. I really don't know anyone that enjoys doing abdominal crunches, but most people would love to have washboard abs or to protect themselves from low back injury. I teach core conditioning classes and my participants are quite diligent in showing up for the classes. But how many people did core conditioning at home during the holiday break? Well, let's just say that that first class back in January was a challenge for most of my class. Whether it's a class or a workout buddy, making a commitment to doing tough workouts with others will help keep you going.

3) People often ask me, "What is the best time of the day to workout?" My answer is always the same. The best time of the day for you to workout is the time when you know you will feel most motivated to workout. Although there are studies that show slight differences in fitness results at various times of the day, you shouldn't sign up for a 6am class if you are not a morning person. One trick of our busiest clients is to program their workout right into their day timer. Tuesday and Thursday at 4pm they have an appointment with themselves for a fitness workout or a squash match. You wouldn't miss an appointment with your dentist - so don't miss your appointment with yourself to stay healthy!

4) The "First Five" is a trick that works all the time. If you are tired and considering skipping a workout, tell yourself you only have to do the first five minutes of your workout. Once you have gotten changed and started your workout, you will be amazed at how you will suddenly feel like doing your whole workout. If you don't feel like continuing after that first five minutes, you probably shouldn't - your body is telling you something in that case. But 99% of the time that first five minutes will turn into a full workout and you will be happy you got yourself going!

I hope some of these tips help you continue with your 2005 fitness resolutions. Perhaps come December 31st, 2005, you won't need to make any fitness resolutions because your fitness routine has become a regular part of your life all year long.

Caron Shepley is a senior partner in Personal Best, a multiple Ironman and marathon finisher who has spent the past three years becoming one of Canada's leading Yoga Instructors. Her new video / DVD Power Yoga for Endurance Athletes will be for sale in February caron@personalbest.ca

PB EMAIL OF THE WEEK

Thanks Barrie for last week's great newsletter. I wish we all had a Coach Carter in our schools in the UK. Keep up the great work. Chris from England.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you haven't made the trip to the local movie theatre to see the emotionally powerful and true life story of Coach Ken Carter I highly recommend you do so.

DEFINING TIME

To realize the value of ten years: Ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years: Ask a graduate.
To realize the value of one year: Ask a student who has failed a final exam.
To realize the value of nine months: Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.
To realize the value of one minute: Ask a person who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize the value of one-second: Ask a person who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of one millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.
To realize the value of a friend: Lose one.
Time waits for no one. Treasure every moment you have.

SOME GREAT WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT FOR TRAINING INFORMATION

Early season workouts:
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11417&sidebar=26&category=triathlon

Swimming with your torso:
http://www.usms.org/training/torsoswim.htm

Fitness through pregnancy with book resources
http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=11401&sidebar=576&category=healthclub

Weight loss success tips
http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100099662?GT1=6045

FREE UPCOMING MOTIVATIONAL TALK WITH BARRIE & C3

The next installment of the Aquafina Speaker Series is Friday, Feb 4th at 7pm at Robert F. Hall High School. Last year's most popular speaker Leith Drury (PhD candidate) will share her research in EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (an Essential Asset for High Performance). Put Fri., Feb 4th in your daytimer for a free motivational evening. More details at the C3 website at www.c3online.ca

PB OPPORTUNITIES

* If you are looking for a keynote speaker for your company or awards celebration consider hiring Barrie for your special event. From 30 minutes to a full day presentation, Barrie's thousands of pictures and stories are guaranteed to entertain and motivate. If you are interested email barrie@personalbest.ca

* Florida Warm Weather Camps. One week: March 12-19th, and two weeks: April 16-23rd and 23rd-30th. Join Barrie and international coaches for a week of instruction and motivation in Clermont, Florida. Details at www.personalbest.ca

HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND TRY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AT LEAST ONE OTHER PERSON'S LIFE!